March 2010
FCE Sample Test
Reading – Part 2
You are going to read a newspaper article about a board game called ‘pichenotte’. Seven sentences
have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which ts each gap
(9-15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
ONTO A WINNER
Two brothers are nding that their childhood game is very good for business.
Dave and Norm Lagasse, two bushy-bearded brothers people emigrating to Canada brought the game with
in their forties, are sitting in their modest home in Santa them. Pichenotte is the name of the French-Canadian
Fe in New Mexico, USA, and reliving their childhood. In version of the game that developed in Quebec.
front of them lies a wooden board
bo ard covered in round plastic 12 ..... Each competitor gets 12 pieces or ‘pucks’.
pieces. They are playing the ancient game of pichenotte, These are ‘icked’ across a wheel-like board using the
one which, they insist, is unlike any other. middle or index nger of one hand. Flicking a puck into
Their grandfather, Lucien Rajotte, a grocer originally a small hole is worth 20 points. Three concentric rings
from Quebec, Canada, brought the game into the USA around the hole are worth 15, 10 and 5, respectively.
and introduced it to his family. It wasn’t long before, on Eight tiny posts present obstacles. The game usually
just about every weekend and holiday holiday,, the family were lasts just two minutes.
playing the game and, as Dave says, ‘having the best When they saw how popular the game was at the Santa
time ever’. Eventually, the family moved to New Mexico. Fe bar, the Lagasses made a couple more boards and took
9 ..... If visitors dropped by they were often fascinated, for them to markets and craft fairs. Crowds gathered, money
the game was completely unknown in southern USA. changed hands and the game’s popularity grew. 13 .....
One day, three years ago, Dave set up the ancient With word spreading more widely, the boards began to
pichenotte board and, realising how cracked and battered sell as fast as the brothers could make them. Eventually
Eventually,,
it had become, decided to make a new one. This turned they decided to go into the pichenotte business full-time.
out to be a beauty. A relative noticed and wanted one. They set up a workshop in the garage of their house
Then a friend wanted another. 10 ..... ‘People there started and started turning out boards. More than 450 have been
to watch,’ says Dave, ‘and say, “no way I’m playing that produced to date. 14 ..... As Norm explains,
explains, ‘They’re very
silly game.” Then they’d sit down, and pretty soon you durable, as they have to stand up to lots of wear.’ They
couldn’t get them up from the table!’ are available, at $595 each, from the brothers’ website.
11 ..... The roots, he discovered, were probably in As yet, there are no profess
professional
ional pichenotte players or TV
India, where a similar game called ‘carroms’ exists. coverage to produce pichenotte celebrities. 15 ..... Until
That was adapted into a game called ‘squails’ which then, they’re happy to spend their off-duty hours playing
was played in pubs in Britain and, a century ago, British the game they hope will make their fortune.
A This idea always brings a smile to the face of E When people started asking about the origins of
Mrs Lagasse, at 70 still an excellent player the game, Dave decided to do some research.
herself.
F So much so that championships
championships began to take
B Made of birchwood and mahogany,
mahogany, each weighs place and a trophy called the ‘Lord
‘Lord Pichenotte
12kg and is 1cm thick. Cup’ was created.
C Pichenotte, which can be played by two to four G Nonetheless, the day is not far off when the
people, is clearly a game of skill. brothers’ garage will be home to a luxury
Mercedes rather than a saw and piles of wood.
D But Grandpa’s
Grandpa’s pichenotte board, which he’d
made out of old wooden food crates, was not H Curious as to how great the interest might be,
forgotten and they continued to play regularly. one night the brothers took one of Dave’s
Dave’s new
game boards to a sports bar in Santa Fe.
March 2010
FCE Sample Test
Reading – Part 3
You are going to read an article about four sportsmen. For questions 16-30, choose from the
sportsmen (A-D). The sportsmen may be chosen more than once.
Which sportsman mentions
16 a time-consuming aspect of being well known in his sport? _____
17 a career opportunity resulting from an achievement in sport _____
18 the nancial rewards of success in his sport? _____
19 a good result that went largely unnoticed? _____
20 the importance of having a social life outside sport? _____
21 enjoying a change of scene when training? _____
22 difculties in a relationship resulting from his lifestyle? _____
23 enjoying being recognised by people in the street? _____
24 attracting attention for things not directly connected to the sport? _____
25 not nding the idea of fame attractive? _____
26 regretting having to turn down invitations? _____
27 the advantages and disadvantages of supporters coming to watch the sport? _____
28 the time of day he has to go training? _____
29 disappointment at not getting help as a result of an achievement? _____
30 a feeling that his sporting career will be relatively short? _____
March 2010
Dedicated to their sports
Four young sports stars
stars talk about their lives.
A Darius (runner)
I’ve always been sporty. I played a bit of everything at one time, but I was best at football and
athletics. When I was 14, I had a trial for a professional football club, but eventually I opted to go
down the athletics route instead. My biggest moment came when I got to compete for my country
in the youth team and got a medal. It didn’t result in much media attention, though, which was
a shame. I’d been hoping some sponsorship would come out of it, because the training doesn’t
come cheap. I train at home all winter and then go away for three weeks, usually Florida, before
the season starts. It’s good fun – there are great athletics facilities there and the nightlife’s great
too. You’ve got to be really disciplined, though. If friends ask me to go out the night before
training, I have to say no. I wish I didn’t, but dedication pays in this sport. The main goal for me
is to get to the next Olympics – that would be fantastic.
B Gabriel (surfer)
The surng community is small, so you get to meet the same guys wherever you compete. Professional
surfers are very serious and often the best waves are at dawn, so if you’re really going to get anywhere,
you have to cut out late-night parties altogether. I don’t mind that so much, but I do love having a lie-
in, and I usually have to give that up too. But it’s worth it, because without that kind of dedication
I might not have won the National Championships last year. I make sure that a big night out follows
any win, though, and if there’s cash involved in the winnings, I’ll go away somewhere really nice.
And, of course, the sacrices are worth it in the long run because winning that championship meant
I got picked to present a surng series on TVTV.. I guess I’m a bit of celebrity now.
C Dieter (yacht races)
With ve lads on a boat together, you have a good laugh. We’re very traditional and we always
celebrate a win in great style. It’s been said that we act a bit childishly when we’re out, but
we don’t actively go looking for media coverage. Sometimes the reporters actually seem more
concerned about where you go out celebrating and what you get up to there than about where you
came in the race. I’m away for eight months of the year, so it’s
it’s great to get back, go out with my
mates from other walks of life and do tthe
he things they do. Y
You
ou can’t live, eat and breathe the sport
all the time – it’s not healthy. I’m known within the world of sailing, but fortunately I can count
the number of times I’ve been recognised in the street on the ngers of one hand. I’d hate a lot
of nice letters from people wanting signed pictures, though. It may take ages, but I reply to every
one. It would be cheeky to complain, even if it does take a bit of organising.
D Tomas (tenni
(tenniss player)
It’s always a great thing to walk on court and feel that the crowd’s behind you. At the last tournament,
though, it all got a bit crazy with people crowding around. Despite that, I have to admit that I do still
get quite a thrill out of being spotted by fans when I’m out shopping or something. It has its downside
though. My last girlfriend didn’t like it if I got too much attention from female fans. The thing is,
tennis players have to travel quite a lot, and in the end that’s why we split up, I guess. That was hard,
but you’ve got to make sacri
sacrices
ces in any sport; you’ve got to bbee sserious
erious and profes
professiona
sional.
l. Actua
Actually
lly,, iitt
doesn’t really bother me too much. I’m content to concentrate on my game now and catch up on the
other things in life once I’ve retired, because, after all, that comes pretty early in this sport.
Solutions:
Part 2:
9D, 10H, 11E, 12C, 13F, 14B, 15G,
Part 3:
16C, 17B, 18B, 19A, 20C, 21A, 22D, 23D, 24C, 25C, 26A, 27D, 28B, 29A, 30D
